According to the preliminary results of the mission of the NASA Phoenix Mars lander, snow and clouds of ice and water play a crucial role in water exchange between the atmosphere and the surface of Mars. This suggests that the Red Planet and Earth are more or less resemble each other more than we thought until now.

The surprise discovery of snow on Mars was made in 2008 by the weather station in Canada for Phoenix Mars lander. This discovery now helps to explain the evolution of the cycle of water on Mars and to understand the seasonal changes. The scientific team which contributed to the article entitled Mars Water-Ice Clouds and Precipitation explains how the water vapor is projected in altitude during the day, in the lower atmosphere to form clouds of ice crystals that resemble cirrus clouds on Earth and how the water precipitates in the atmosphere to transform itself into snow.

A focus on small trenches dug by the lander’s robotic arm.

Credits NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona / Texas A & M University

Phoenix Lander